Pain on arrival at the emergency department: A regional survey

Abstract

Pain is a major health problem that has a huge impact on public health. Pain is also the most common reason for patients to seek care at the emergency department. Data were collected at seven emergency departments in Stockholm, Sweden, over 24 hours. Data were gathered from patients via a questionnaire conducted by the triage nurse during the first assessment on arrival. The patient-reported pain intensity was classified and the patients were grouped into age categories. Univariate and multivariate binary logistic regressions were conducted to determine the association between pain and variables: sex, age and taking analgesics prior to the visit. During the 24-hour period, 1344 patients visited the emergency departments and 647 patients (48%) participated in this study. Thirty per cent of the patients reported a pain intensity of eight or more. Despite this, only 33% of the patients took analgesia before visiting the emergency department. The odds of reporting pain were nearly six times higher for a person aged less than 30 years compared to a person over 60 years of age. The differences in the patients’ pain ratings according to age need to be highlighted. Effort on preventive health education should be studied.